In the Air Tonight
by BSparrow
Summary: The boys come back to Santa Carla after being gone for over 20 years following the "incident" with the Emersons. When a few people in town start to recognize them, all hell breaks loose. Takes place present day.
1. Chapter 1

**My first attempt at writing Lost Boys fan fic...it's been one of my favorite movies ever since I can remember. Hope you enjoy...I would appreciate any reviews and constructive criticism. :)  
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_The highway was deserted, stretching long and lonely into infinity, except for four boys on four motorcycles. They blasted through the darkness, shattering the silence with the roar of their machines. The sky above them was endlessly dark, prickled with a million tiny stars and one large opalescent moon which seemed to smile down upon them with a sort of maternal fondness. The boys whooped and cheered when they passed a large sign announcing, among other things, 100 miles to Santa Carla. They were closing in on their home after 25 years away and nothing short of dying…again… would tear them away this time. They continued to hurtle head on into the blackness until the heavens began to show the first signs of fading to pink around the edges. Instantly, they turned off the main road and drove directly to a modest little inn tucked away from the main thorough-fare. They parked their bikes then rented two cheap rooms, disappearing behind the doors and yanking the curtains closed tightly just as the first strains of sunlight began to break across the horizon._

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Senona Jacobs was having a beautiful dream. She was in the arms of a mysterious stranger, clinging to him in the darkness. The night was serene, the moon was shining brightly above them and there was a gentle breeze blowing off the Pacific. At first she felt so peaceful and calm with her face buried in the soft black cotton of his threadbare t-shirt. Suddenly, a cloud slipped across the moon and the night grew darker. Senona shivered in the stranger's arms; suddenly his gentle embrace felt more like an iron vice. The soft breeze picked up until it was howling up over the cliff, and she could hear the waves crashing against the rocks below. She tried to look up, tried to catch a glimpse of his face, but the wind was tossing her hair across her face and blocking her vision. When she tried to move, she found she couldn't. The stranger held her so tightly, too tightly. Panic gripped her chest and she tried to scream but found she couldn't do that either. The air was being squeezed right out of her lungs. Abruptly the wind shifted again and then she felt herself falling away from the stranger…falling into darkness.

Senona screamed again and this time her lungs worked. She opened her eyes, gasping for air, expecting to find herself bloodied and broken at the bottom of a cliff. Instead, she saw the familiar ceiling of her bedroom. The soft morning sunlight was filtering through her curtains and she was safe. Breathing a sigh of relief, she climbed out of the bed on wobbly legs. Almost instantly, a screeching sound filled the room and she nearly jumped out of her skin before realizing it was only her alarm clock. With a shaky sigh, she reached over to turn it off before heading to the bathroom to take a shower. Terrifying dream or not, she still had to get to work.

* * *

After a long day of being verbally abused by both her horrible boss and his equally horrible clients, Senona was finally free. Stepping outside, she was surprised to find the air cool and the moon already high in the sky. Checking her cell phone she realized it was well past 8:30 pm. Thank God for overtime pay, it was always like this when Parsons had court dates coming up. Wandering to her car, she glanced up and down the dark and desolate road. A streetlight buzzed above her, flashing halfheartedly before going out altogether. The breeze picked up unexpectedly, skittering an empty plastic cup down the sidewalk towards her. The sound seemed unusually loud, perhaps because the street was unusually quiet. She shivered and picked up her pace, relieved when her fingertips touched the cold metal of her door handle. She pulled hard, and found it locked.

"Shit." She muttered, digging her keys out of her pocket and feeling strangely uncomfortable being out here alone in the dark.

Usually, being alone didn't bother her. She lived alone, after all, and had for 6 months now since her parents moved back to Oklahoma to care for their own ailing parents. And it wasn't as if she was in an unfamiliar place. She had lived in Santa Carla for over fifteen years, having moved there with her family when she was just four years old.

But tonight was different. Tonight, the hairs on the back of her neck were standing at attention and a cold sensation seemed to trickle down her spine. The air suddenly seemed much cooler and she wondered briefly why there were no cars passing on what was normally a relatively busy road.

"Get it together…what's your problem?" She quietly scolded herself, fumbling with the keys and wincing as they scratched against the paint around the door handle.

"You need help, girl?" An amused male voice asked from behind.

Senona whirled around, holding her stubby car key up as a sort of makeshift weapon, and was shocked to find herself face-to-face with four guys.

The boys laughed uproariously at her poor choice of protection and she took the moment to study them…just in case. There were three blondes and a brunette; they were all taller and larger than her except for one, a curly haired blonde that was about her size. The one that had spoke to her had wild blonde hair that not many guys could pull off without looking like they were lost in the 80's, and the face of a male model.

They all looked to be about her age but she didn't recognize them from school. In fact, she couldn't picture any of them in school. They looked like an outlandish cross between rock stars, a motorcycle gang, and a band of pirates. Not particularly odd really, especially for Santa Carla. But these boys had hungry eyes and they practically oozed intimidation. They knew it too, and seemed to relish it.

An icy blonde with short spiky hair and an authoritative air about him stepped forward, a smirk curling his lips. Senona tried to take a step back but bumped into her car. She groped for the door handle again but of course, it was still locked.

He opened his mouth to speak but stopped short, whipping his head around to glare into the darkness. The rest of the boys perked up as well. They seemed to sense something that she couldn't see. A beat later, she heard the footsteps as well.

"Is there a problem here?" Mr. Parsons was strolling towards them.

"Mr. Parsons!" Senona gasped, shocked to see him coming to her rescue.

He stopped beside her, looking down his nose at her and making it obvious he didn't appreciate being forced to waste his time. She figured he had probably decided it would take less time to save his current secretary than to find a new one.

"No. No problem here." The blonde said, his voice as glacial as his appearance as he took a step back to join his friends.

One of the boys mumbled something very quietly, almost imperceptibly, and all of the boys chuckled. It wasn't a nice sound like one would expect, more like a growl in the back of their throats. A cloud that had been blocking the moon drifted away, and a beam of milky white light landed on the blonde, emphasizing his almost ghostly appearance.

Mr. Parsons had been studying the boys with distaste at first, but as Senona watched, he seemed to grow more and more tense. His jaw dropped and he pushed his glasses further up his nose, leaning slightly closer to the group before snapping back so quickly she thought his glasses might fly right off his face.

Senona thought she hear him whisper, "It can't be…it just can't…"

The boys seemed to hear him clearly. The amusement was instantly gone and the intensity seemed to build until the air was practically crackling with it.

"Let's go boys." The blonde announced, his face seemingly devoid of any expression.

They turned and headed back down the sidewalk from the way they had come in complete silence. Senona glanced after them with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity but turned away quickly when the smallest blonde glanced over his shoulder to offer her a sly smile as if he had known she'd be watching.

Turning back to her boss, Senona was shocked to find him trembling, holding on to one of her rearview mirrors as if his life depended on it.

"Mr. Parsons, are you okay?" She asked tentatively, reaching a hand out to steady him.

He swallowed hard but nodded, still staring down the sidewalk after the boys.

"Okay, well, I'm just going to go home now. Thanks for coming out, I was getting kind of nervous. Are you sure you're alright?" She patted him gently on the arm.

"I'm fine, damnit." He snarled, his eyes darting in all directions as if he was waiting for something to swoop right out of the sky and grab him.

She climbed into her car slowly and watched through the grimy windshield as he turned and literally ran back to the office, slamming the door so hard behind him that the "open" sign flew right off and landed on the porch.

As she drove home, Senona pondered what could have caused such a strong reaction in her boss. Sure, the guys were intimidating and sure, they could have done some very bad things to her if he hadn't shown up…but that sort of response was very unusual for him. Plus, he seemed to recognize the guys whereas she had never seen them before. They weren't clients, she would have remembered them.

Even though she knew better than to go for bad boys, she hadn't been able to stop herself from noticing that they were all very attractive. Especially their self-appointed spokesperson, the mystifying blonde with the palest eyes she had ever seen. Eyes she could still see when she closed her own.

As she turned into her driveway, staring warily at her dark apartment, she decided that perhaps Mr. Parsons was just edgy from all the stress he had been under lately. That was probably it, but she would be sure to ask him if he knew the boys when she got to work in the morning.

She felt much more relaxed after a shower and half a pint of Ben & Jerry's and decided that maybe the guys were just being sociable. They were probably just friendly, albeit bizarre, guys that thought she might be having car trouble. In fact, she should probably find them and thank them sometime. But just to be on the safe side, she double-checked that her door was securely locked before she went to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

_The boys stood silently in the darkness created by the woods behind Parson's office, not ten feet away from where the girl still stood. They watched as she climbed into her car after a moment's hesitation and then drove away. When her tail lights had faded into nothing, they all began speaking at once._

"_Did you see that girl come at us with the keys? That was great!" Paul lit a cigarette, but quickly put it out when David glared at him._

"_She seemed nice. She was staring at you, David." Marko spoke up, peering up into the sky._

"_David, that guy recognized us." Dwayne said, obviously concerned._

"_I know. I'm gonna take care of it. You boys go ahead." David replied, licking his lips and directing his attention towards the task at hand. _

_He waited until they were gone to feed on their own before creeping up to the office. The man was still inside, he could hear him rummaging around in a drawer for something. Probably a gun he had hidden for protection. Without wasting any time, David ripped the door open, careful not to pull it straight off its hinges. _

_Parsons managed a short scream which was followed by a crash, and then there was silence._

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That night, Senona slept soundly. If she dreamed anything, she didn't remember it when the alarm clock woke her the next morning. Stumbling out of bed, she wiped the sleep from her eyes and wandered into the kitchen.

Rummaging in the refrigerator, she found a can of Mountain Dew and a cup of yogurt. The breakfast of champions. She was just reaching into the drawer for a spoon when she looked up at the kitchen window and noticed a set of bloodshot eyes staring back at her. Screaming, she jumped backwards, practically falling over her kitchen table. The eyes belonged to a tall, solemn-looking black man. After a moment, she noticed he wore a police uniform and was flashing a gold badge. He motioned towards the front of her house and disappeared.

Senona took a moment to catch her breath, feeling like her heart was going to beat straight out of her chest. She went to the door and noticed through the peephole that the officer was accompanied by an older man in a suit. Suddenly aware that she was still in her pajamas she unlocked and opened the door, inviting them both inside.

"Senona Jacobs?" The man in the suit consulted a piece of paper, and then glanced at her questioningly.

When she nodded, he continued, "Miss Jacobs, this will only take a moment. May I sit?"

She nodded again, perching on the shabby couch. The man in the suit took the cushiony chair facing her and the officer stood by the door, ignoring the conversation completely.

"Miss Jacobs, I'm Detective Reynolds with the Santa Carla P.D. We've been knocking on your door for half an hour. Why didn't you answer?"

"I-I've been asleep…I just woke up. What's this about?" Senona stuttered, clasping her hands in her lap so the detective couldn't see that they were shaking.

He checked the paper again then raised his head, "You work for an attorney named Harold Parsons…correct?"

"Yes…is Mr. Parsons alright?"

"When did you last see Mr. Parsons?" The detective asked, ignoring her question.

"Last night, around 8:30." Senona answered as a strange feeling began building in the pit of her stomach.

"Why were you at the office so late? Were you and Mr. Parsons romantically involved?" Detective Reynolds asked, his face expressionless but his tone accusatory.

Feeling shocked, Senona hurried to explain that working late was always necessary before a big court date. The detective seemed to accept that and moved on, but she could feel her face burning as if she'd been slapped.

"Listen, can you tell me what this is about? Is Mr. Parsons alright? I'm late for work actually." She said, glancing at the clock on the wall behind the detective.

"Don't bother going in today. Mr. Parsons is missing. His wife says he never came home last night. We usually don't act on missing person's cases this early in the game, but Mr. Parsons is a very well-respected member of this community. Do you have any information you would like to share with me?" The detective asked, already standing up and re-buttoning his suit jacket as if he was certain she had nothing of value to add.

Senona shook her head, standing as well and accompanying him to the door. The detective thanked her for her time and slipped his card into her hand, asking her to please call him if she thought of anything pertinent to the case.

She agreed and then locked the door behind him, feeling dazed. For the rest of the day, she was on auto-pilot. Her mind was stuck on all of the things that could possibly have happened to Mr. Parsons. Did the confrontation with the boys have anything to do with it? Mr. Parsons had certainly seemed disturbed afterwards. She ran through all of the scenarios while she cleaned up her apartment, organized her closet, painted her toenails, and shaved her legs. Anything to pass the time.

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Finally, around 8:00 that night she ran out of meaningless tasks to occupy her brain. The walls seemed to be closing in on her and she decided that she simply had to get her mind off of the situation.

She wasn't really sure where she was heading until she found herself at the beach, walking down the boardwalk. It wasn't a place she normally frequented. It was too loud, too bright, and too crowded with too many tourists. But tonight it was just what she needed.

Senona allowed herself to enjoy the smell of greasy concession food and the sound of lively carnival music. The boardwalk seemed to be a living thing, writhing ahead of her with throngs of people.

She was lost in her own thoughts, floating along, until a few hoodlums on skateboards swooped past her shouting obscenities to one another. With her reverie fully shattered, Senona turned to head back to her car.

That's when she saw them, the boys from the previous night. The crowd seemed to part to let them pass. A few older people were openly staring at them with what appeared to be disapproving looks. Or maybe it was something more? Either way, more than a few girls appeared to be rather taken by the boys. She couldn't say she blamed them.

She hesitated for a moment, feeling just the slightest twinge of trepidation, but pushed it aside and hurried to catch up with them.

"Hey! Hey, wait just a second!" She called, pushing past a few slow-moving older women until she found herself walking alongside the wild-haired blonde.

He glanced over, then did a double-take and smiled at her.

"Hey, it's the ninja girl who was gonna kill us with her keys!" He chuckled, nudging the brunette who leaned forward and laughed along with his friend.

"Yeah, that's me. Hey, could I talk to you guys for a second?" She asked, stopping short and hoping they would stop with her.

No such luck. They continued walking, and after an awkward pause she hurried to catch up again.

"Please! It'll only take a second…I just want to know how you guys know Mr. Parsons!"

That seemed to hit a nerve. They all stopped in unison, and the icy blonde who had been ignoring her the whole time reeled around to face her.

"We don't have a second and we don't know who you're talking about." He said in a low tone, looking her directly in the eye.

When he turned to walk away again, Senona impulsively reached out and grabbed his jacket. His eyes flashed wickedly and he bared his gleaming white teeth. It crossed Senona's mind that he looked more than a little like a wolf.

Senona jerked her hand back as if she'd touched a flame, realizing instantly that she'd made a mistake. She tried to back away but he reached out and hauled her against him, his fingers closing around her wrists so tightly that she felt sure the bones were splintering beneath the pressure.

"Look, we don't have time for your games. If you know what's good for you, you'll leave us alone." He bit out the words, his face virtually touching hers.

She tried to remain defiant, not looking away from his intense stare. He took a deep breath, seeming to smell the air, and a malevolent smile cracked his lips. Suddenly he released her, pushing her away without another word and stalking off with his friends behind him.

The small blonde smiled over his shoulder again, shrugging slightly before they disappeared into the crowd. Senona stared after them, considering his warning as she rubbed her aching wrists. At first she felt only anger. Anger was followed by curiosity. But when they were out of sight, another emotion took over. Longing? Senona pushed that one away and decided to go back to anger. It was much safer.

Senona made it home in record time. She was so busy cursing the rudeness of the strangely appealing boy that had nearly fractured her wrists that she didn't even notice the strange SUV with deeply tinted windows parked on her street.

So he wanted her to stay away from him, huh? Fuck that. She didn't take well to threats. Her mother had always said that Senona was stubborn as a mule.

For the rest of the evening she brooded. She was sulking in the kitchen, washing dishes, when something outside caught her eye. She turned the faucet off, leaning closer to get a better look. There was definitely something moving out there. Shadowy figures seemed to move between the trees, just out of the light of the moon. What was it?

Senona leaned even closer, her nose practically pressed against the window pane. Suddenly, something landed with a splat against the glass. She shrieked, falling backwards in her attempt to get away from whatever was coming for her.

But, it was just a frog. A tiny green frog with its sticky little feet gripping the glass.

Senona forced herself to laugh as she climbed up off the floor. Her nerves were obviously shot if a frog could scare the hell out of her.

She left the soapy dishes in the sink and headed straight for bed. She'd had quite enough excitement for one day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks, everyone, for the reviews! :) To answer your question: Yes, I do plan to explain how the boys survived but it won't be until Senona gets to know them a little better. Which shouldn't be too far off. ;)**

**Another note...if anyone is interested in 80's music, I've been listening to a few different songs while writing this that kind of end up setting the mood for the story. Those songs are: "Sympathy for the Devil" by Guns n Roses, "I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight" by Cutting Crew, & "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins". I love having soundtracks to stories and there will probably be more to come with the other chapters. :)  
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_David leaned against a tree in the girl's backyard, watching as she went about her business as usual, completely oblivious to the danger that lurked outside her window. He had stayed longer than he had intended, enjoying the rare glimpse into normality. Humans were weak and pathetic but he found them intriguing, perhaps because of their fragility. _

_He had come to kill the girl for no other reason than to whet his appetite, but now he was having second thoughts. Earlier, he had smelled fear on her as well as something more appealing. She was interested in him. That, of course, wasn't uncommon. But she was lively and he liked that. Plus, she didn't appear to have any family. A young girl needed a family. _

_The thought of a family distracted him, taking him back to a time he would rather not recall. He shook the recollections off as he always did, cursing them under his breath. Yes, he had plans for her. But before he could even consider that, there were plenty of loose ends that needed tying up._

_Finally, all of the lights inside flickered off and her house grew silent. Checking the sky, David realized it was time for him to head back to his boys. He slinked off through the darkness, planning to stick to the shadows until he was well out of sight. On his way down her street, he quickly realized that he wasn't the only one keeping an eye on the girl._

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For the next few days, Senona returned to the boardwalk in hopes of spotting the boys again. She had nothing better to do; Mr. Parson's devastated wife had closed his office down until further notice. Senona was still on the payroll and had been told to consider herself on vacation until Mr. Parsons was found.

After a few day-time trips yielding no sightings, Senona decided that perhaps they were just night owls. It fit them, after all…rare and elusive creatures that only emerged under the cover of darkness.

She was right about their nocturnal behavior. On the next trip she found them. They were draped across two benches near the merry-go-round; smoking cigarettes and idly watching people pass by. Ignoring her apprehension, Senona threw back her shoulders and marched over to them.

The boys greeted her warmly except for the lead blonde. He gave her a long simmering once-over then silently blew a cloud of smoke up in to her face. Senona's eyes watered but she managed to laugh and wave it away, pretending his insolence didn't bother her. His smirk informed her that he knew it did.

"Can I sit with you guys?" She pasted a smile on her face, directing her question to the two more cheerful blondes who shared a bench.

"Yeah! Come on, sit down. Want a cigarette?" The more brazen of the two pushed the smaller curly-haired blonde to the edge of the seat to make room for Senona.

She sat stiffly and accepted the cigarette, allowing him to light it for her. For a moment, they all sat in an awkward silence.

"So….who are you guys?" She asked, watching the smoke from her cigarette drift leisurely up into the sky before fading away.

"I'm Paul. That's Marko. The silent brotherhood over there? That's Dwayne and David." Paul volunteered, surreptitiously snaking his arm around her shoulders.

Senona glanced over into the cherubic face of Marko. He offered her an eloquent smile which she couldn't help but return. He seemed so sweet.

"What's your name?" He asked benevolently, scooting a bit closer.

Senona hesitated, glancing toward David. She was surprised to catch him watching her. He looked away quickly, leaning towards Dwayne and muttering something she couldn't hear. Dwayne simply nodded.

"Uh… Senona." She replied, trying not to look at David again.

"Is that your real name? Sounds like a made up name to me." Paul chuckled, squeezing her shoulder.

She felt herself tense up, but soon decided that Paul was harmless. He was flirtatious but not actually interested in her specifically. Those feelings were reassured a second later when he jerked his arm from her shoulders and whistled raucously at two girls strutting by in miniskirts.

"It's real." She answered, pointlessly now that Paul's attention was elsewhere.

"It means lively in Spanish." Dwayne added thoughtfully.

Without warning, David jumped to his feet and dropped his cigarette. His gaze was focused intently on something or someone across the boardwalk.

"Cut the small talk, let's go boys." He abruptly began walking away and the rest of the boys followed him without another word.

Senona was left sitting alone, holding a cigarette she hadn't smoked and feeling slightly encouraged by the encounter. At least she finally knew their names. Marko turned around to wave a quick goodbye to her and she waved back, wishing David had bothered to acknowledge her presence.

* * *

The next night, she travelled to the boardwalk again but didn't see them anywhere in the crowd. Feeling completely let down, she meandered along by herself and hoped they would turn up. It was silly how much of her time she was devoting to these guys, but she couldn't help but feel drawn to them.

She found herself amused by Paul's bubbly flamboyancy, charmed by Marko's angelic smiles, intrigued by Dwayne's stoic intelligence, and most definitely attracted by David's powerful charisma. It was all very overwhelming and exciting but some part of her told her that it was also dangerous.

In her search for the boys, the large bulletin board near the new Mexican restaurant caught her attention. It was covered in an unusually thick layer of home-made flyers. Moving closer, Senona noticed that they were all for missing people. Quite a few different missing people.

She spotted Mr. Parson's grim face on a weather-beaten slip of paper near the top, half-covered by a paper begging for information on another missing man. She recognized another face lower down on the board. The jovial face of Mrs. Wiggins, a chemistry teacher that Senona remembered from high school.

Senona was staring at the board when she noticed out of the corner of her eye that someone was sneaking around in the shadows, blatantly studying her. Thinking it might be one of the boys, she strained to see into the darkness. The person dashed around the corner of the building, but she was almost positive it had been Detective Reynolds.

She would have thought that was odd, but two middle-aged women wandered up beside her, studying the board with apprehensive expressions.

"God, can you believe that? It takes you back doesn't it? It's like that time all over again." One of them whispered loudly, catching Senona's attention.

She inched close enough to hear the other woman reply, "I know! Bob and I are starting to get worried. Whatever is happening, it seems to be happening to people our age. Kathy Houser disappeared two days ago."

"Are the police involved yet? They don't seem to be very concerned about any of it. I think they know what's going on, they're just not telling us. Hell, I bet they knew what was going on back in 1984!" The woman shook her head, adopting an irritated expression.

Senona strained to hear the next reply, but was interrupted by the sudden sensation of a strong hand grabbing her shoulder.

She whirled around, stunned to find that the hand in question belonged to David. He grinned devilishly, his pale eyes gleaming in the faint light.

"I think it's time we had a little talk, Senona."


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the reviews, I'm glad you guys are liking it so far. The pace should be picking up soon...I'm trying not to rush things but David is just a sexy beast and can't be controlled. :) Soundtrack for this chapter: "White Wedding" by Billy Idol and "Wild Boys" by Duran Duran.**

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Senona felt frozen in place by David's unexpected appearance. She stared at him, her mind blank, until his sardonic laugh seemed to break the spell.

"What do you mean we need to have a talk, David? We don't even know each other." She managed to produce some semblance of a laugh, but it sounded pretty pathetic even to her own ears.

"We'll know each other better once we talk, right?" He arched an eyebrow, shocking her when he stepped forward and casually threw his arm around her shoulders, escorting her down the boardwalk.

"I guess so. So, um…where are the other guys? "

"Why? Would you rather be talking to Marko?" David asked nonchalantly, watching her reaction from out of the corner of his eye.

"You sound jealous." Senona answered, feeling a bubbly sensation starting in the pit of her stomach and working its way up through her body until it emerged as giddy laughter.

David rolled his eyes but was prevented from replying by the sudden and noisy appearance of his friends.

Paul and Marko were arguing, talking over each other so loudly and quickly that Senona couldn't understand a word they were saying. Dwayne looked positively murderous, glaring daggers at the two boys.

"They've been like this all night." He muttered to David.

David, meanwhile, didn't seem to be listening to any of them. He was staring hard into the shadows to their right and his arm had tightened around Senona's shoulders until it was almost painful. She winced, squirming in his grip which had shifted from casual to possessive.

Suddenly he turned to her with a smile on his face that seemed to be sincere and somewhat out of character for him.

"Come see our place, I think you'll enjoy it. I guarantee that you've never seen anything like it before."

Paul and Marko stopped arguing long enough to voice their agreements and encouragement.

"What's so special about it?" Senona asked, knowing that she should just say no but unable to ignore the part of her that leapt with excitement at the invitation.

"You'll see." David answered confidently, ushering her a few feet away to where four gleaming motorcycles were parked.

He climbed on to one of the bikes and the boys followed suit. Only Senona was left standing, her heart waging a battle against her instincts. David smirked, leaning forward as if he expected her to eagerly hop on behind him.

Instead, Senona looked to Marko who sat innocently staring at the ground.

"Can I ride with you, Marko?" She asked, smiling at him shyly.

He glanced up, looking surprised. A second later, understanding dawned. He grinned knowingly and nodded, scooting forward so she had room to climb on. As Paul and Dwayne burst into laughter that was obviously at David's expense Senona scrambled on, careful not to make too much body contact. She could feel David glaring towards them, but she refused meet his eyes. Even though she really wanted to be holding on to him, she was certain that Marko was the safer choice.

Without another word, the motorcycles fired up. Marko grabbed her wrists, insisting that she wrap her arms around him and hold on tight. She did as she was told, gasping at the speed with which they took off, shooting out into the night like bullets from a gun.

At first she enjoyed the ride, tingling with pleasure at the high speed and reckless maneuvering that the boys managed effortlessly. But as the scenery whipped by, Senona began to realize that they were heading out of town. Well out of town. The first seeds of apprehension and regret began to take root as she realized that she was speeding off towards the unknown with a gang of boys she knew nothing about.

Just as she was getting ready to take her chances bailing off the bike, they skidded to an abrupt halt. Looking around dazedly, Senona realized that they were at Hudson's Bluff.

"Enjoy your ride?" David asked sarcastically, appearing at her side to help her climb off the bike.

"Yeah I did, thanks." Senona smiled up at him, hooking her arm through his, "Now show me this fabulous house of yours."

"Well, it's not really a house." David said ominously as the boys led the way down a rickety set of steps.

Senona gulped as she noticed a few signs that seemed intended to discourage people from following the path that they were currently taking. The rocks beneath her feet were soaked with seawater, and she clutched David tightly, praying that she wouldn't slip and embarrass herself.

Her thoughts were silenced a moment later when they emerged into a massive room. It was grandly furnished with furniture straight out of the early 20th century and looked nothing like any cave she had ever seen.

"What the…what the hell is this?" Senona asked, spinning around to take it all in.

The boys made themselves at home, perching in various places, and lighting a fire for light.

"It used to be a hotel. A real ritzy one. One good earthquake and bam…it's in the ground. So we figured, why let it go to waste?" David chuckled, watching her examine the room.

"I've lived in Santa Carla since I was a kid and I never knew this was here! Are there more rooms?" She asked, trying to decide where to sit.

Everything in sight was filthy, covered in dust and thick cobwebs. It didn't look very lived-in but it had great potential.

"Yeah, here and there. Some rooms, some caves. It all kind of blends together." David replied, wiping the dust off a nearby chair and offering it to her.

She thanked him and sat, still awed by the place, "I can't believe that this is where you guys live, it's amazing. How long have you been here?"

"Not that long." David answered, plopping down into what appeared to be an old wheelchair. Seeming to anticipate her next question he added, "We just lucked into finding it out here and someone in town told us the history of it."

A comfortable silence followed and Senona pretended to gaze at the photo on the wall of Jim Morrison but she was actually studying David. She watched inconspicuously as he caught the boy's attention and motioned his head towards the door insistently.

Finally, Paul stood up and clapped Marko on the shoulder, "Hey, let's go back up to the beach. I bet those girls that were checking us out are still there. Wanna come, Dwayne? They were pretty damn hot."

Dwayne agreed and they made a conspicuous exit, winking rather obviously at David as they called goodbye to Senona. He growled deep in his throat at their antics, but seemed relieved that they had left.

Turning to grin intently at Senona, he scooted his wheelchair-chair closer to where she sat. Noticing the faint sound of waves pounding against the rocks outside, Senona realized just how alone they now were. One look at David's intense eyes and she forgot all about the possible danger.

He took her hand in his, tracing the lines of her palm with one fingernail. She shivered at the contact, watching him watch her. Still grasping her hand, he stood and pulled her up with him. Her body melted against his and by its own volition, her hand found its way up to caress his cheek. Her fingers tingled at the prickly stubble that was in steep contrast to the smoothness of his cool skin. His head dipped, and she closed her eyes, anticipating the touch of his lips against hers. It never came.

He gently untangled himself from her, and she noticed his lips twitch as he if was trying to hide a smile.

"I should take you back to your house now, Senona." His voice was low and gravelly as he spoke into her ear.

"Call me Nona."

"Nona…let me take you home. You'll be safer there." He persisted, his lips moving against her ear.

She shivered but wasn't sure if it was from the feel of his lips against her skin or from the words those lips spoke, "Safe? You wouldn't hurt me…would you?"

"No. But it would be better if you went home now. We don't know each other, after all." He grinned, throwing her earlier words back at her.

Stiffening, she pulled away, stung by his rejection. "I guess you're right. Things are moving a little fast here."

He didn't rush to reassure her and assuage her wounded ego like most guys would have. He just nodded in agreement, placing her hand in the crook of his elbow and leading her outside.

The ride to her house seemed shorter than the ride to the cave. Perhaps it was because she was molded against David, her fists clutching his shirt and splaying open against his broad chest as she breathed in the intoxicating scent of cigarettes, leather, and something she couldn't quite place.

He pulled up to her driveway, and he helped her climb off the bike. Her knees felt weak but she managed to remain standing as he stroked her cheek silently. Then, with the flash of a devious smile, he was rocketing off into the darkness again.

Senona sucked in a deep breath, hoping the cool air would slow her racing heart and raging hormones. She wasn't sure how long she stood there with the image of his face swimming in front of her eyes before she noticed the unfamiliar SUV parked directly across from her house. The windows were too darkly tinted to see inside, but she had the strange feeling that there was someone in there, watching her.

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_Detective Reynolds watched observantly as the platinum blonde boy on the motorcycle delivered Senona Jacobs right to her doorstep. He took off pretty quickly, without so much as a goodnight kiss, but Reynolds had been around the block more than a few times. He recognized the signs. Hell, even a blind man could have recognized what that was going on between those two if he'd felt the heat radiating off of them. Not to mention the fact that Miss Jacobs was currently standing there, staring off into space with her heart practically beating out of her eyes like she was some love struck cartoon character. Yep, they were involved._

_Marking this development down in his notebook, Reynolds turned back to watch the subject again. Shit, she was staring straight at him. He knew she couldn't see him through the illegal tint on the windows, but it made him paranoid all the same. He was relieved when she turned around and went inside. _

_This was dangerous stuff. Someone was killing the citizens of Santa Carla and he was damned determined to find out who it was. Everyone thought he was crazy but he'd gotten a bad vibe off those young punks that Senona Jacobs was currently spending a lot of time associating with. The captain had told him to leave it alone. He'd told Reynolds to focus on the Parsons case, that he knew the guys and the situation was under control…but Reynolds was no fool. He might have to conduct this investigation on his own time, but he was going to prove they were involved. And Senona Jacobs was going to help him whether she knew it or not._


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for the reviews...I completely understand the concerns that David seems nicer than usual in the story. I've tried to keep him in character as much as possible, but it would be hard to have a romantic story without taking a few liberties with him. I'm trying my best not to make him too sappy! :)  
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**Soundtrack for this chapter: "Mama (We All Go to Hell)" by My Chemical Romance and "Santa Carla Twilight" by Tiger Army.**

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_Marko, Dwayne, and Paul were just finishing up their "evening meal" when David skidded to a stop in front of them, his tires kicking sand onto the bodies of their most recent victims. _

_Paul looked surprised, "Dude, you're already done with her?"_

_David climbed off the bike, examining the anonymous corpses at his feet. Minutes ago, they were full of life and vitality. But now they were just the leftovers of a vampire's meal, waiting to be discarded. No different than an empty take-out box. _

_David could still remember how hard the killing had been at first. He had been human once, after all. But after years and years of killing, it became easier until it was no different than opening a bag of chips. All the faces blended together and it was easy to believe that humans existed solely for his sustenance._

"_Get rid of the bodies. How are you gonna explain this if a cop comes sniffing around out here?" He muttered, planning to change the subject away from Senona._

"_You didn't kill her, did you?" Dwayne said while shaking his head, already knowing David's answer._

"_No. But she doesn't know anything yet." David nudged one of the bodies with the toe of his boot, enjoying the way the ornate silver tips gleamed in the moonlight._

"_You like her." Dwayne stated, trying and failing to catch David's eye._

"_She's just another human. No different than the rest but we could use a human around." David lied, his frown daring them to question him further._

"_You do like her. She's different because she ignores you." Dwayne persisted, ever the observant one and the only one willing to risk incurring David's wrath._

"_She wasn't ignoring me earlier." David smirked, eliciting raucous cheers from the boys._

"_What are you gonna do about her, just keep her hanging around and not tell her? How's that gonna work?" Marko asked, crossing his arms across his chest._

"_I'm gonna tell her. Tomorrow night."_

"_Do you think she'll freak out?" Marko inquired._

"_I don't know. If she does, I'll take care of it." David responded, sounding far more certain than he felt._

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Senona slept soundly until noon the next day. She had been enjoying her dreams too much to let them go and visions of David lingered in her brain long after she awoke. She remained in bed for a while, savoring the memories of the previous night.

David's personality had made a complete 180, seemingly overnight. At first, he hadn't had much of a personality but now he seemed to be growing fonder of her. She couldn't help but wonder if he had some sort of ulterior motive for his sudden change of heart. But what could that motive be, what could he possibly want from her? She dismissed that thought, physically waving it away with her hand and deciding that she was just being paranoid again.

Hopefully her plans for the day would bring her even closer to David and the boys. It could go either way, really. They would either appreciate the gesture or it would all blow up in her face. She was nervous about it, but she was determined to take that chance. She didn't know them very well but they seemed pretty open to her friendship so why not go for it?

She had decided last night that their cave needed a serious cleaning. They obviously didn't mind living in filth but it wasn't healthy. Besides, if she was going to be spending any amount of time there (and she certainly hoped she was) it needed a scrub-down.

So after gathering up all the cleaning supplies in her house and tying her hair back in a ponytail, she climbed in her car to head for Hudson's Bluff.

It wasn't a place she'd visited very often and she ended up getting lost a few times. By the time she made it to the entrance of the cave, it was after 3:00 pm.

She wasn't surprised that the boys were nowhere in sight. Being confirmed night owls, they probably slept in some of the other rooms that David had mentioned. Knowing how guys were, Senona figured it would be best to leave their rooms alone. No telling what kind of horrors she might find if she started digging through them.

Trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake them, she rolled up her sleeves and went to work. It wasn't easy going. More than once, she got chased straight out of the cave by spiders that had obviously been residing in the cave since the turn of the century and didn't appreciate being disturbed now. But after she had scoured everything in sight and rearranged some of the lighter furniture, it began to take shape.

It was really such a nice place, she couldn't imagine how beautiful the hotel had been when it was in one piece. Sunlight streamed through the open doorway, flooding the cave with soft yellow light. The air smelled sharply of the sea and the soft sound of the waves breaking against the rocks was soothing.

Finally after a few hours of backbreaking work, Senona collapsed onto the big cushy couch to appreciate her handiwork. The next thing she knew, someone was tapping her on the shoulder. Opening her bleary eyes, she stared up into David's amused face.

Once she remembered where she was she jumped to her feet, embarrassed that she'd fallen asleep in their house without even having permission to be there in the first place.

"Oh God, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep…" She started rambling, wiping the grime and sweat from her forehead with her sleeve.

"Don't worry about it. You did a good job on the place, it hasn't looked this nice since 1906." David smirked.

"You don't mind that I cleaned up? I just wanted to help you guys out...it was pretty dirty."

"No, we don't mind. In fact, we're all taking you out to dinner to show our gratitude." David informed her, disdainfully picking a dust bunny out of her hair as he led her outside into the night.

After a short dispute about where to go, David settled it by deciding on pizza. This time, Senona rode with him and he shot the boys a smug look as she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.

The best pizza place in town was a small diner with bad lighting and cracked plastic booths. They were the only customers and a bored young girl took their order. Senona didn't miss the fact that the girl kept her eyes firmly on David, batting her eyelashes and then looking disappointed when he paid her no mind.

While they waited for their order, David and Senona made small talk. Paul, Dwayne, and Marko set up a makeshift game involving spoons and torn bits of napkins. Eventually Dwayne seemed to grow tired of the game and shifted his attention to David. They began talking in low tones and Senona found that she was relieved to be out of the spotlight of David's intense gaze.

He always seemed amused, as if he knew something she didn't. And when he stared straight through her, she got the feeling that he saw more than most people. Being studied by David felt like being physically interrogated, but she still enjoyed his attentions.

"Holy shit!"

The scream caught everyone's attention. Senona realized that it had come from the waitress who had just slid the pizza and breadsticks on to the table. The woman scrambled away, looking as if she'd seen a ghost.

She was a harried looking middle-aged woman with a name tag that read "Janet" and it appeared that all the blood had drained out of her face. She was as white as the napkins that Marko and Paul were toying with and the way that she was staring at the boys made it obvious that they were the cause of her distress.

She darted out of the restaurant with her apron still tied around her waist, obviously terrified. Her co-workers appeared baffled and the boys seemed disturbed by the whole incident.

David didn't give her a chance to ask any questions, he asked for the pizza to be put into a carryout box and quickly paid for their order. She clutched the box as they rode the short distance to her house, not realizing until they arrived that the rest of the boys hadn't followed them.

David hurried her inside, eyeing the dark SUV parked across the street with suspicion. Even after he shut the door, he moved to the window to peer out the blinds at the car.

"David, what the hell is going on? Why are you staring at that car? What made that waitress scream? Where are the boys?" Senona demanded, dumping the pizza box unceremoniously on her dining room table.

David just shushed her and continued staring outside in a way that made Senona wonder if he could actually see through the tinted windows.

"Damn it, David, I need some explanations here!" She insisted, feeling alarmed by all of the questions hanging in the air between them.

Finally, David turned around and stared at her for a long moment.

"Nona, I'm going to tell you something that you need to know. You're not going to believe me, but it's true. You can't tell this secret to anyone, do you understand?" David's voice was quiet and serious, but held an unvoiced threat of all the things that might happen if she didn't heed his warning.

"I understand. What is it, David?" Her own voice was soft, tremulous even.

"I'm a vampire." He said without an ounce of hesitation, his eyes unblinking as he studied her face for a reaction.

At first, Senona felt nothing. A vampire? The concept was too ridiculous to possibly be true. But as he continued to stare at her without breaking into a smile, without revealing any signs that he might be joking, Senona felt a cold chill run down her spine.

"David…you can't be serious. Vampires…vampires don't exist. They're not real." She said, her voice wavering.

"They are real. They have to be, unless I'm a figment of your imagination." He raised a brow, seeming to be testing her.

Senona reached out her hand, embarrassed to find it shaking, and placed it on his cheek. He covered it with his own, and she shivered when she realized how cold his skin was. How had she missed that the last time she touched him? She jerked her hand away, covering her mouth.

"Oh my God! David…you're serious!" She shrieked, feeling her blood run cold.

Every instinct was telling her to run away, that vampires were coldhearted and coldblooded monsters that would kill anything in sight. But the man standing in front of her didn't fit that description. He wasn't a monster.

"I'm serious. The boys…we're all vampires. We live off of the blood of people. We have to kill to survive." He said bluntly, taking a step towards her.

Senona couldn't reply at first, she was still too shocked, but she was aware that this was a very big deal. It changed everything.

"It was you…you've been killing all these people that are missing. You killed Mr. Parsons!" She gasped as the sudden realization hit her like a brick wall.

"Yes." His voice was so flat, his eyes so emotionless.

He met her stunned gaze without an ounce of apology for the way he lived.

"David…I…I can't believe this! Are you…are you going to kill me now?" She asked, feeling a fresh wave of fear as she considered this new possibility.

"No. If I was going to kill you, you would be dead." He said frankly.

A sudden knock at the door shattered the unbearably tense silence, startling them both.


	6. Chapter 6

**Soundtrack for this chapter: "The Storm" and "The Beginning" from the Bram Stoker's Dracula soundtrack.**

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David's gaze darted to the door and then back to Senona, his expression unreadable.

"It's just the boys." David said quietly as he crossed the room and opened the door.

Senona was still trembling, wondering if she should take this opportunity to run screaming into the night. No, she knew she wouldn't do that. She didn't want to run away from them, from David. She cared about him and some part of her felt honored that he had confessed such an important secret to her. Besides, the four of them would catch her before she ever made it to the driveway.

So she forced herself to calm down, placing a hand over her chest in hopes of slowing her rapid heartbeat. He had said he wasn't going to kill her and she believed him. But just in case, she crept closer to where he was talking quietly to the boys at the door.

"Yeah we got her, it's taken care of." Dwayne was saying.

"Good." David replied before glancing over his shoulder and meeting Senona's eyes with an appraising glare.

She froze, knowing she was busted. Looking away quickly, she pretending she hadn't heard anything.

"Check out that car across the street, find out who's watching us. Come back in a few hours and let me know." David ordered as he turned back to the boys.

"David, in a few hours it'll be almost sunrise." Paul complained, but was silenced when David closed the door in his face and turned around to face Senona.

"You can't be in the sun? What would happen?" Senona asked before he could speak, feeling a rush of curiosity that seemed to override the fear.

"I would burst into flames. Holy water would do me in too. Stakes through the heart are less effective. Garlic just doesn't work." He confessed, seemingly amused by her question.

"David, I want you to tell me everything. I want to know everything….why don't you start with why you're killing all these people?" Senona lowered herself onto the couch, staring up at him and feeling a bit awed.

He hesitated, and then sat next to her as he answered, "To live."

"Well, obviously. But why those people? I noticed that they all seemed to be around the same age."

The sound of tires squealing on the street outside distracted them both briefly, giving David time to consider the best way to answer her question.

"We used to live here, in Santa Carla, over twenty years ago. The people we've been feeding on are the ones who have recognized us."

"You mean…they know what you are?" Senona felt stunned.

"No. Well, maybe. They remember our faces and since we haven't aged since they last saw us, I'm sure they know something is up. Maybe some of them know what we are, if they believed the Emerson's. I think they tried to warn some of the people in town when they left."

"What do you mean?" Senona was hanging on his every word.

"It's a long story." David sighed, leaning back on the couch and flopping his heavy scuffed boots up into Senona's lap.

Senona inhaled sharply, but managed to relax enough to place her hand on his leg as he began to tell her the story, his voice as calm as if he was telling her about the weather outside.

"We'd been here for a while, long enough for people to start calling Santa Carla the 'Murder Capital of the World'. People knew something was wrong here but they never suspected us, they thought we were just another gang. The head vampire then was Max, we were supposed to answer to him. He got this idea in his head that we needed a mother, someone to take care of us and keep us in line. I guess he thought we were getting out of hand. So he had his eye on this woman that had just moved to town. Nice woman. She had two sons and Max thought that we'd make one big happy family."

David paused, lost in his story, his eyes staring off into space. Senona didn't dare say anything to interrupt him.

"There was a girl hanging around us back then…Star. While Max was putting the moves on the mom, Star was putting the moves on the oldest son. At first she was just doing as she was told, but then she really fell for the guy. The youngest son started hanging around these kids in town who were real horror comic freaks. They suspected what was going on here and decided they had to take us all out. They wanted to save the world from us, I guess." David scoffed, but continued.

"They came at us when we were at our weakest, in the day time. They took Star and the little boy she had been keeping as a pet…shit, what was his name? It doesn't matter. Anyways, they staked Marko while we were sleeping. We woke up and would have ripped their fucking heads off but they got away, they ran like hell out into the daylight where they knew we couldn't get to them. So we spent the rest of the day giving Marko all the blood we could spare but we still thought he was dead. That night we went for revenge, but we were weak. They got Paul. Then they got Dwayne. It was a fucking mess."

David paused again, shaking his head and obviously not enjoying revisiting the painful memories. Senona couldn't blame him; her heart was aching for him and the boys.

"What about you?" She whispered.

"Oh, they got me too." David answered, obviously agitated.

"How did you guys survive?" Senona couldn't help but ask, horrified by the atrocities her boys had been subjected to.

"That's the thing. They were stupid enough to just bury us in the backyard. They just wanted to get rid of us and move on. Obviously the comic freaks didn't realize that a vampire can almost always be brought back unless they're decapitated and burned, whatever. So the Emerson's put the house up for sale and got the fuck out of town. That would have been the end of us, just lying in a hole in the ground for eternity, but Marko…Marko was still alive. Barely…but he was able to make it to the bottle of blood we kept in the cave for initiation. That, and the blood of a few cave rats, gave him enough strength to make it out into town and make a kill. He knew what happened, and he came straight to us."

"How did he know?" Senona inquired, feeling her heart swell at the thought of poor sweet Marko.

"He just knew. He could feel it. The house was still empty so no one was there to see him dig us up. He made trip after trip, carrying every little bit of us back to the cave. It must have taken him a thousand trips, he said it was almost sunrise when he was done. But he got everything. Every last bit of us. I wasn't as bad off but Dwayne and Paul…they were in pieces. Marko dragged kills back to the cave to feed us…the blood helped us get stronger so we could start healing ourselves. Eventually I was strong enough to help him. Between the two of us, we brought Dwayne and Paul as much blood as we could. It took them a long time to heal, but they made it. As soon as we could, we left Santa Carla."

By this time, Senona was nearly in tears. She grabbed David's hand, holding it tightly. Neither of them noticed the low thrum of motorcycles circling the block and then leaving again.

"Why did you come back?" Senona tried to keep her voice even, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"We like it here. Santa Carla is perfect for us. Lots of tourists and runaways and the police department is a joke. And the cave…the cave is home. But I know we're not going to be able to stay here for long. It's a different time and vampires can't have a home anymore. I'm just humoring the boys for a while, letting them enjoy their time here while they can. They think if they kill everyone who recognizes them, they'll be able to stay. It won't work though." David admitted, sitting up on the couch and meeting Senona's eyes again.

"Why…why did you tell _me_ all of this?" She asked.

David shrugged, studying her with an icy intensity, "I knew you would get suspicious if you kept following us around. If you'd found out and decided to do something stupid…I would have had to kill you."

Senona was taken aback at first, but then found herself laughing and smacking him playfully, "You're terrible."

He grinned then in one fluid movement he was straddling her on the couch, his knees on either side of her hips and his face hovering above hers. His hands cupped her face, turning it slightly to the side as he pressed his lips to the delicate skin above her pulse. His tongue laved across her skin and she could feel her heartbeat quickening beneath his mouth.

Desire swept through Senona like a volt of electricity and she moaned as his lips moved to roughly cover hers. She slipped her fingers beneath the soft hem of his shirt, feeling his skin cold and smooth as porcelain beneath her touch. She explored the depths of his mouth, delighting in the sweet coppery taste, her brain too muddled to register that it was the taste of blood.

He groaned, shifting both of their bodies until he was lying on top of her, wrapping her legs around his waist.

The sound of the door flying open and crashing into the wall startled them both. David was off the couch and on his feet before Senona could even register what was happening.

"It's almost sunrise." Paul announced, closing the door tightly behind him and turning the lock.

"We don't have time to get back to the cave." Marko added unnecessarily.

David cursed loudly as Senona sat up on the couch, trying to catch her breath. The boys all turned to her, their knowing smiles conveying that they knew exactly what they'd interrupted.

"You guys can stay here tonight. Well…today." She offered , knowing they had no other option.

They didn't hear her; they were already off scouting every room in the house. She grabbed an arm full of pillows off the couch and caught up with them at the laundry room, the only room without a window.

"We'll shove some towels in the crack under the door and it'll be fine." Marko was saying as Paul glanced around the room doubtfully.

David glared at Paul, and then disappeared as Senona got to work helping the boys clear off the floor and get settled in. She told them goodnight, turned off the overhead light, and then closed the door. As she went off to find David, she felt strangely maternal.

She found David stretched out in her bed, having completely covered the window in her room with her thick winter blankets.

"Oh, I guess you think you're sleeping here huh?" She teased, glad to see he'd at least taken off his boots and coat before making himself comfortable.

He didn't answer and she realized he was already out like a light. She yawned, feeling sleep tugging at the edges of her own brain. She was already on their schedule.

Senona climbed in to the bed beside him, snuggling against him in the darkness. Laying her head on his chest, she wasn't surprised that she heard no heartbeat. Everything about him was so still.

She wasn't sure how long she laid awake, mulling over the incredible things she'd just been told. As the sounds of her neighbors heading off to school and work began to drift into her room, Senona finally gave into sleep, feeling strangely secure considering that she was cuddling with a vampire.

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_Detective Reynolds would not be dissuaded. The boys had chased him away from Senona Jacob's house earlier in the evening, soon after she had disappeared inside with her platinum blonde lover. Now he was certain they were all hiding something. They were obviously a gang. A gang of ruffians who probably enjoyed things like vandalism, theft, and maybe even murder. _

_But he was going to catch them and put them away. He'd convinced the captain that something was fishy with them all. Yes, he was getting closer to wrapping it all up. So close, he could smell it._


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for the reviews! :) **

**Soundtrack: "Running with the Devil" by Van Halen and "To the Shock of Miss Louise" by Thomas Newman  
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For the next few days, Senona was lost in the excitement of being part of the boy's family. With them, you were either enemy or friend. There was no in between. They treated her like a sister, except for Paul who took every opportunity to grab her ass and spout some sexual innuendo.

David was hot and cold. One minute he would throw her down on the bed and have his way with her, his passion almost frightening. The next he was lost within himself and seemed oblivious to her presence. Senona weathered each mood by his side, waiting anxiously until he turned from ice to fire.

It was easy to think of the boys as just being normal guys, sleeping all day and looking for fun all night. She never saw them kill. David insisted that she wait at home while they fed, then he would come pick her up as if he hadn't just murdered someone to drink their blood.

That was the only time that she was out of their sight. She spent every moment with them and David slept every night at her house. She wasn't sure if that was because he wanted to be with her constantly or if it was just so he could keep an eye on her now that she knew their secret.

Sometimes Senona was able to forget what they really were, but something always happened to remind her.

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It was early in the evening; the boys were lounging around Senona's living room cheerfully watching cheesy sci-fi movies with the sound muted. They seemed to enjoy making up their own dialogue and in most cases it was much better than the actual script.

Senona was in the kitchen with David, trying to pry the plastic wrap off a jar of salsa. David was brooding about something; she had yet to figure out what. Grabbing a knife, she attacked the stubborn wrapper with such fervor that the blade slipped right off the plastic. Almost immediately, blood began to seep from the gash on her finger.

Before she could rinse it off under the faucet, David was on her. His hands gripped her arms forcefully as he made an animalistic sound low in his throat. When Senona looked up into his face, she was shocked.

His beautiful, smooth features had morphed into hard edges and angles. Beneath his snarling lips, she could see the points of a deadly set of fangs. His eyes…his eyes were no longer the pale blue that had captivated her. They were a gleaming feral yellow, like those of a wild animal. They were the eyes of a predator.

The transformation took her breath away. Every nerve cell in her body was telling her to scream but she was frozen in place, awed at seeing what he truly was beneath the beautiful exterior. She didn't even notice the blood dripping steadily onto the floor, ticking away the seconds that passed between them.

"Clean. It. Up." David commanded stiffly through his clenched teeth, closing his eyes as if he was trying to compose himself.

He stalked out of the room, leaving her scrambling in his wake to bandage her wound and scrub the floor.

When she emerged from the kitchen a few moments later, the boys were no longer laughing and jeering at the screen. They all turned to watch her as she hesitantly took her place on the couch next to David.

"It's-it's okay…I wrapped it up." She explained, lifting her hand to show them.

Though it was just a small cut, her hand was wrapped so thickly in paper towels that looked like someone in the early stages of mummification. She wasn't taking any chances.

Marko and Paul laughed uncomfortably. David and Dwayne didn't seem to notice, they were both staring intently at the tawdry made-for-television movie.

"Hey, it was just a little blood. It's okay." Senona insisted, grabbing David's hand and trying to thread her fingers through his.

He glanced down at her, his expression scornful, "You don't realize how serious that could have been. Do you want to know what could have happened?"

She shook her head, feeling like a small child being reprimanded.

"This isn't a game, Nona. You have to be careful. We all do, if you want to stay human." David's words hung in the air, buzzing in her ears.

"What if I don't want to stay human?" The words were out of her mouth before she could consider them, shocking her as much as they shocked David.

He was silent for a long time, his lips pressed tightly together. Senona could feel the boys watching her with a strange anticipation. She rushed to try to explain but David silenced her by raising his hand.

"You don't know what you're saying. You can't have any idea…"

Senona interrupted him, feeling her face flame with embarrassment, "I didn't mean it. I'm sorry. Let's…let's just get out of here for a little while, okay?"

The boys all agreed heartily, but David's eyes burned into hers and she couldn't help but remember they way he'd looked in the kitchen.

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An hour later she had dragged them all from one end of the boardwalk to the other, pasting an overenthusiastic smile on her face the whole time and David was still in a bad mood. He shoved people out of their way, glared at anyone who looked their way, and refused to ride any of the rides with Senona.

When they finally stopped in front of the Ferris wheel, Senona watched all of the regular couples standing in line together and sighed. They all looked so normal, so happy.

She looked up at David, poking her bottom lip out and trying to muster up a deprived expression. When he noticed her staring, he frowned.

"No. Absolutely not. I won't ride it." He said firmly, jerking his arm out of her grasp.

"Are you…scared?" She laughed, poking him in the ribs through his thick coat.

"No."

"So what's the problem? Come on! It'll be fun." She insisted, her mind already made up.

She tried to pull David into the line but it was like moving a brick wall. He turned his face away from her and stubbornly crossed his arms across his chest.

"Fine! Be that way! Marko will ride with me, won't you Marko?" She grabbed Marko's hand and stuck her tongue out at David who was still ignoring her.

Marko heaved a long-suffering sigh and allowed Senona to force him into one of the rickety old carts.

As the loopy music played, their cart rose jerkily into the air until she could see all along the boardwalk. While Senona enjoyed the view, Marko was occupied with throwing himself back and forth, making the cart swing precariously.

The ride operator yelled a warning up to them but Marko paid him no mind. Senona leaned as far out as she dared, waving to David on the ground far below her.

He was staring up at them, expressionless, but observing their every move. He only smirked when she blew him a kiss.

Movement behind him caught her attention and she thought she recognized a somewhat familiar figure lurking in the crowd. Leaning farther out, she narrowed her eyes trying to get a closer look. Detective Reynolds, again? David noticed what she was doing and turned, peering into the throngs of people curiously.

Suddenly, the cart jerked to a stop at the top of the wheel, knocking her off balance. Her heart leapt into her throat and she screamed, scrambling for something to grab hold of. She was certain she was about to fall to her death, she could already hear the sickening thud of her body hitting the ground. Thankfully, Marko jerked her back inside and wrapped his arm around her, not allowing her to move until they were safely on the ground again.

After that incident, Senona insisted they return home. She was no longer in the mood to feign cheerfulness. Detective Reynolds had nearly caused her to get herself killed, he was obviously stalking her. The question was why? Was it a personal thing, did he have some kind of sick twisted crush on her? Or was it professional, did he think she had something to do with Mr. Parson's disappearance?

There was still at least another few hours until sunrise but Senona headed straight to her bedroom, leaving the boys to fight over the television remote. After a few moments, David followed, locking the door behind him. She felt her temper flaring as he crossed the room. He had pushed her away earlier, but now he expected her to fall at his feet when he wanted her. Why did he have all of the control?

Without a word, he climbed into bed and rolled on top of her. When she tried to push him away, he grabbed her arms and effortlessly pinned her wrists to the bed on either side of her head. He leaned in to kiss her, but she turned her head defiantly as he had earlier and his lips pressed against her cheek. They moved slowly to her ear, and then swooped down to her neck.

A soft sigh escaped her lips and she could feel the corners of his mouth curl upwards in a smirk against her skin. When he released her arms to slide her shirt off, she could feel her resistance melting away. When he kissed his way down her body, unbuttoning her jeans as he went, she lost the battle and became putty in his hands. He always knew exactly how to get his way.

* * *

_At the Santa Carla police station, Detective Reynolds was pacing back and forth, blowing into the Styrofoam cup in his hand to cool his hot coffee._

"_Reynolds, what is it now?" The captain was not happy to see him._

"_We've got to move on Jacobs and the boys. No question about it, they're all involved in the disappearances. She's the bait and they do the deed." Reynolds tried to take a sip, but the molten liquid scorched his tongue and he set it on the captain's desk._

"_Do you have proof? We can't do a thing without proof, you know that."_

"_Nothing concrete. But come on. She was the last person to see her boss alive, excuse me…before he disappeared. She's always with these boys, who are obviously a gang. They're probably knocking people off as some sort of fucking initiation ritual. And why can't we find out any info on them, huh? No one knows their name or if they do, they won't talk. We got nothing on them, they've got something to hide. And if we don't get them ASAP, they might run. They could take off and we'd never solve these cases." _

"_I'll buy that. Fine, we'll try to bring her in. We can work something up." The captain sighed, shifting the folders on his desk and dismissing Reynolds with a wave of his hand._

_As he left, Reynolds felt a sense of euphoria. Yes, he was going to wrap this case up and the whole town would think of him as a hero. Maybe he would even get his old position in San Francisco back, despite that nasty scandal. _


	8. Chapter 8

The next evening, Senona woke up earlier than usual. David was still cuddled up with his pillow beside her, looking so normal and so erroneously innocent.

She touched his face, marveling at how young he looked when he wasn't trying to seem mysterious or threatening. She wondered how old he really was, she wondered if he dreamed. Maybe she would ask him when he woke up, but of course he would probably give her some flippant answer that would leave her feeling as if she knew less than she had before she'd asked the question.

She slipped out of the bedroom, heading for the kitchen. She was absolutely starving; she didn't eat that often anymore. The boys rarely ate real food and when they did, it was her food. So she wasn't surprised to find she had nothing in her refrigerator or her pantry.

She ended up swigging water from the faucet and decided that she really had to go to the store. She just couldn't put it off anymore, if she didn't get some food in the house the boys would probably start chewing on the sofa like hungry puppies.

It would have still been light outside but the sky was overcast, filled with dark and ominous clouds. A storm was blowing in, she could feel it in the air. She hurried through her shopping, grabbing things off the shelves randomly. Junk food for the boys, healthier stuff for herself that she knew they wouldn't touch.

It felt sort of strange being out in public alone now and Senona grew paranoid when she noticed that a few people in the store giving her odd looks. She figured it must be because she looked like hell.

"Senona?" A cheery voice asked from behind her.

Senona turned and saw the voice belonged to an acquaintance of her mothers, Mrs. Livingston. Senona had never liked Mrs. Livingston, she was a well-known busybody.

"Hi Mrs. Livingston, how have you been?" Senona greeted her warmly, pulling her lips into a big fake smile.

"Wonderful, wonderful. I just talked to your mother on the phone last night! I told her you'd made some new friends." Mrs. Livingston's pleasant tone belied her words as she cut right to the chase.

"Oh, really?" Senona sighed, already feeling her head begin to throb.

"Yes… I figured it was important that she know what sort of people you've been seen with since she's been gone. Those boys have been getting quite a reputation in town. Bad boys, you know. She was horrified of course; I expect she'll be getting touch with you as soon as she can. She has so much to deal with right now, poor thing." Mrs. Livingston raised a brow, her smile growing frosty.

She agreed that her poor mother did indeed have a lot to deal with right now. Mrs. Livingston carried on for a few more minutes that seemed like an eternity for Senona. As soon as she could, she made her escape. She wasn't surprised to find that her headache miraculously disappeared along with Mrs. Livingston.

By the time she started home, it was already dark outside and the rain was starting to fall. Thunder rumbled low in the distance and clouds covered the moon, leaving the night pitch-black. Senona shuddered inexplicably, feeling chill bumps rising on her skin.

Glancing in her rearview, she noticed an SUV following close behind. It stayed with her as she turned off the main highway and it was still behind her when she turned onto her street.

She gasped and almost ran off the road when she realized it was the dark SUV that had been parked in front of her house for the past week or so. A light bulb seemed to go off in her head and she suddenly realized that it had to be Detective Reynolds in that car, who else could it be? It was bad enough to stalk her on the boardwalk but this was going too far!

She hesitated to turn into her driveway, but when she did she was happy to see that the car kept going. It crept past her house and disappeared around the corner. Relieved, Senona unloaded the groceries and dashed inside before she could get too soaked. The rain was picking up, and the thunder was getting closer as lightning sliced through the clouds.

The boys had already gone out for "dinner" so she put the groceries up by herself, listening to the rain pounding steadily outside. The house was so quiet when they were gone. It was silly to miss them when she knew she would see them all soon, but she did.

An abrupt heavy-handed knock at the door surprised her. She opened it without thinking, half expecting to see David standing there looking like a drowned rat. Instead, she saw a porch full of soggy but still menacing police officers. They began reciting a dull explanation that included the words "arrest warrant".

Senona didn't stick around to hear the rest. The stunned cry tearing from her throat and the rumbling thunder would have drowned them out anyhow. In a blind panic, she turned and ran through the house, not knowing what else to do.

They caught up with her quickly, wrenching her arms painfully behind her and slapping a set of handcuffs on her wrists. The cold metal grated against her skin and Senona felt nothing but shock and desperation.

The officers explained the situation to her and read her the Miranda rights, but she didn't hear a word of it. Her heart was pounding in her ears and she felt light-headed.

They began dragging her back through the house and she knew she was making it more difficult for them but she couldn't help that her legs were like Jell-o. Through her hysterical fog, she noticed something they didn't. A set of wet footprints led in from her back door and straight through her house.

Bewildered, she saw that they stopped at her bedroom door. There, the door was cracked open ever so slightly. Time stood still and she could see just a glimpse, a sliver of a figure. Her eyes travelled up from the floor, over silver-tipped leather boots, dark pants, and a heavy dark coat. David was standing in the shadows, watching her with his cold eyes.

The officers yanked her through the door and out into the downpour. The rain was coming in sheets now, running in rivers down her cheeks and mixing with the tears she couldn't hold back anymore.

* * *

At the police station, they didn't bother to give Senona any dry clothes even though the ones she had on were thoroughly soaked. They sat her in a tiny interrogation room and asked her questions until she felt like her ears were going to bleed.

But she had no answers for them, which only seemed to make them angrier. They tossed out accusations and all she could do was cry. She cried until her eyes burned and she felt like she was going to throw up. Having working in the legal profession, she should have remembered to ask for a lawyer but the thought slipped her mind entirely.

Finally tiring of her tears, the officers gave up and tossed her into a cell. It was small, with a dingy toilet and a hard bench that was apparently supposed to pass for a bed. It also had one small window high up on the back wall but it was covered with bars.

As the door slammed shut between Senona and freedom, she felt an overwhelming sense of betrayal. Obviously the Santa Carla P.D. was corrupt; they couldn't possibly have any genuine evidence or reason to arrest her. But that didn't change the fact that she was sitting in jail for something that David and the boys had done. And he'd watched as the cops dragged her out of her house in handcuffs, he'd watched without an ounce of emotion.

For the first hour she cried some more, thinking about what was going to happen to her and how ashamed her parents would be. When her tears dried up, she switched to anger. She paced back and forth as the lightning flashed outside, illuminating the room and casting eerie shadows all around her. She screamed in futile frustration, kicking the bench and succeeding only in hurting her toe.

No one came running to see what was wrong. In fact, she hadn't seen anyone pass by since she had been thrown into this godforsaken pit. The hallway outside the cell door was dark and she couldn't hear or see any signs of life. It was completely silent except for the sound of her own breathing.

Suddenly, that silence exploded into sound as the window shattered and glass scattered across the floor in a thousand glittering shards.


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks for the sweet reviews, ya'll are too kind. :) Soundtrack: "Rebel Yell" by Billy Idol.**

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Senona froze, holding her breath as she stared at the shattered glass and then up at the broken window. Then she heard a familiar voice.

"Nona! Nona, climb up to the window!" David's disembodied voice urged in a harsh whisper and she wondered if she was hallucinating it all.

But she did as she was told, pulling herself up until she could peek outside. She could see the boys in the shadows cast by the building, crouched low on the ground with David standing beside them. When he met her eyes, she was shocked to find that his expression was almost…remorseful. She went weak with relief. He hadn't abandoned her, he hadn't set her up to take the fall for his crimes, he had…come to rescue her.

"We're gonna get you out of here, Nona." He murmured, sliding on his black leather gloves, and then reaching up to brush the stray pieces of glass out of the window.

"How? Don't you see all these bars?" She whispered desperately, gripping the cold iron in question and pressing her face against it.

"Is anybody outside the cell? Have you seen anybody walking by?" He asked, craning his neck to peer inside.

"No, not since they put me in here."

She couldn't resist, she slipped her hand through the bars and touched her fingers to his face. He looked up at her, covering her hand with his own and soothing her with just one glance.

"Go look out in the hallway, see if you see anyone coming. Warn me if you do." He ordered her, sounding much calmer than she felt.

She hurried to follow her instructions, straining her eyes to see up and down the empty hallway. She heard the boys cussing and growling softly and then she heard the iron creaking as it twisted and finally gave way.

Turning, she was astounded to find that they had pulled the bars apart just wide enough to allow her to squeeze through. It was impossible. She was imagining it, she had to be.

A door slammed open at the end of the long hallway, echoing through the emptiness.

"Come on! Now!" David hissed from outside, his face appearing in the window.

She was across the cell and squeezing her way through the bars before the person in the hallway could take two steps, wincing as the iron bit against her skin. On the other side David grabbed her, pulled her through, and then she was free.

The boys immediately took off running, and at David's urging she followed. She stumbled over something halfway to the fence and nearly fainted when she saw it was the lifeless body of a guard, his gun lying uselessly in his limp hand.

Senona tried to scream but David clamped one hand over her mouth, shushing her with the other. He yanked on her arm and she had no choice but to begin putting one foot in front of the other again.

The boys reached the fence first and with a single effortless bound, leaped over it and hit the ground running on the other side. Senona gasped when David wrapped his arm around her waist and headed straight at the fence.

"Ready? Get ready to run as soon as your feet hit the ground." He whispered, his breath hot in her ear.

Before she could reply he bent his legs at the knee, holding her tightly to his side, and jumped. They flew through the air, her feet just missing the razor wire topping the fence.

When they touched down again, she faltered, her knees buckling beneath her. David dragged her along with him until she could make her legs work again.

They crossed a field and then disappeared into the dark woods just behind the jail. The air was thick with humidity and the heavy scent of damp earth. The ground was muddy from all the rain. She splashed through countless puddles as briars and vines tore at her clothing and skin.

It was obvious the boys were holding back because of her, but she couldn't go any faster. Her lungs stung and her heart was hammering against her ribs. The muscles in her calves were screaming but she forced herself to keep going.

Finally David took pity on her, sweeping her up in his arms and taking to the air. The boys followed his example and they soared just above the treetops. Senona might have been scared but she was too exhausted and too occupied with catching her breath. She snuggled against David, her fingers gripping his jacket until her knuckles turned white.

She felt so close to the sky, it was almost as if she could just reach up and touch one of the stars. But before she could try, they were on the ground again and David was carefully setting her back on her feet.

"Why…why did we stop?" She asked weakly, pushing her hair off her sweaty forehead.

David pulled her towards a sidewalk as he explained, "We're in a neighborhood now, somebody could see us."

She recognized the neighborhood, it wasn't far from her house. They began walking normally down the sidewalk. Well, as normally as possible considering that Senona looked like she'd been dragged through hell.

"What are we going to do now?" She asked, clutching David's hand, afraid to let go.

"Steal a car. We've got to get out of town. Now." He answered, glancing around to reassure himself that they were alone on the street except for the families sleeping cozily in their homes.

"David! Look!" Paul hissed from farther along the sidewalk, pointing to a plain white van parked in a driveway ahead.

Senona hesitated, hanging back as they wrenched open the door. Marko slid beneath the dash to hotwire the vehicle as the boys opened the doors at the back. It was filled with lawn service equipment which they promptly dumped into the yard.

Somewhere in the distance, Senona could hear sirens wailing faintly. She shivered and moved closer to the vehicle, wondering if they were for her.

Moments later, they were racing out of town with Dwayne at the wheel. Senona was cradled against David in the back of the van, her body exhausted but her brain alert and on edge.

David was explaining the plan, "We're gonna stop at a store as soon as we get out of town, get you some clothes and some stuff for the van. We can't go by your house, by now it'll be swarming with cops. We're gonna be heading east, we'll drive all night and you'll have to take over when the sun comes up. We've got to get as far away as possible; they'll really be after you now."

Senona just nodded, trembling as the enormity of the situation sank in. She had been arrested. Then she had been broken out of jail. By vampires. Who had killed an officer. Now they were running, heading out of town to God only knew where. And she was going with them. Because she loved him. Life as she knew it was over, she would never be able to stop running now. They would always be looking for her.

She dropped her head in her hands, her brain pounding against her skull as she tried to stop the thoughts racing through her head.

They stopped at an all-night grocery store just out of town and the boys went in with strict orders from David of what to buy.

Senona sat by his side in silence, watching the boys move through the store through the grimy windows. They stood in line awkwardly with their purchases. Heavy duty black garbage bags, a thick oversized blanket, heavy-duty duct tape, a cheap t-shirt, a baseball cap, a bag of barbecue chips, and a bottle of Coke.

When they returned, Senona peeled off her wet t-shirt and slipped the dry one on. It was at least two sizes too big but she didn't care. She twisted her damp hair up on top of her head and crammed it under the baseball cap. The transformation was effective as well as unattractive but that didn't matter anymore.

As she gulped down her drink and chips gratefully, the boys began preparing the van. They covered the two windows in the back with the trash bags, taping them up in layers with painstaking care, careful to avoid any rips or tears in the flimsy material. Then they taped the blanket up to cover the gap between the front seat and the rear of the van.

When David was satisfied, they hit the road again. Senona had a few more hours of darkness before she had to take the wheel and tomorrow was going to be a long day. Utterly exhausted by the hellacious evening and the very thought of what was to come, she climbed into the back and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

_Back in Santa Carla, Detective Reynolds was enraged. Infuriated. How could these fucking imbeciles have let her escape? _

_No one knew how she'd gotten out. She must have been fucking Superwoman, judging by the way the bars were bent. It was impossible, but yet it was real. Something strange was going on, much stranger than Reynolds had ever anticipated._

_The captain was yelling, his face so red it was nearly purple. _

_"My officer is dead! Fucking dead because of you and your fucking crusade! We dragged that bitch in here without cause and look what happened!" He screamed, spittle flying out of his mouth and landing on Reynold's face._

_"But she's obviously guilty of something! She got out of here! Did you see the bars, can you fucking believe that? Now we do have cause to arrest her...she outright murdered someone!" Reynolds protested, wiping the spit off his face._

_"Get the fuck out of here, Reynolds! Get out of here and don't come back. Give me your badge and your gun. You're fired! I never should have hired you to begin with...San Francisco P.D. warned me about you!" _

_Reynolds did as he was told then left the building, head held high, even though the other officer's stared at him with contempt. He climbed into his car, thankful that he had a spare handgun hidden under his seat.  
_

_He knew what he had to do and it mattered so much more now. He had to find Jacobs and those boys, wherever they were. They were cold-blooded killers...and something more. When he found them, they'd be sorry. The captain would apologize. Reynolds would be a hero. They'd see, they'd regret that they ever doubted him._


	10. Chapter 10

**Hope this chapter has enough David to satisfy the cravings. ;) I love all of you wonderful reviewers! **

**Soundtrack: "Devil Inside" by INXS**

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Senona drove all day, stopping only to get gas and some junk food from a convenience store. People gave her strange looks but she wasn't sure if that was because of the way she was dressed or because she just looked like she had something to hide.

In the van, it was silent except for the blasting AC but that was okay because it gave her time to finally think. She felt all mixed up inside and she wasn't sure what to think about the situation. David had rescued her but was that because he cared about her or because he was afraid she would tell the police his secret? She just didn't know and she knew she couldn't ask him, he would make her believe whatever he wanted her to believe.

Despite all of her doubts, she still trusted him. It was probably stupid, but somehow she knew that even if he didn't always have the purest intentions, he would never let her get hurt.

The hours passed, ticking away along with the white lines stretching down the highway. She didn't know where she was and her back was aching, there was no way to get comfortable. Finally, just as she was about to give into exhaustion, the sun sank below the horizon and the boys began to stir.

"Where are we?" Marko asked sleepily as he appeared from behind the blanket, propping his head up on Senona's shoulder and peering out the windshield.

"I honestly have no idea. David told me to go east and that's what I've been doing." Senona answered, keeping her eyes on the road but reaching up to pat Marko's cheek fondly.

David pushed the other boys out of his way and climbed into the passenger seat, propping his boots up on the dashboard and stretching like a cat.

"We're gonna need to stop in one of these towns. We need to eat." He informed her with a wry grin, watching the scenery fly by outside the window.

* * *

The moon was nearly full, lighting the way as David instructed Senona to pull off into the half empty parking lot of what appeared to be a rundown bar.

The boys piled out of the back as soon as the van came to a stop, eager to check out their new surroundings and find a meal. David lingered, sitting beside Senona and watching her watch the boys enter the bar. He seemed to read her mind, knowing the questions that were swirling there.

"We're gonna feed and then get out of here as soon as possible. We'll have to ditch this van and find another one. By now, it's probably been reported stolen."

"What are we going to do, David? Are we going to be running forever? Where are we going?" She asked, turning to look at him and feeling an edge of desperation slip into her voice.

He stared back out the window as he answered, "We're gonna do what we have to do. We'll hit these small towns for a while and throw them off our track…then we'll go to some big city and get lost in the crowd. How does…Los Angeles sound?"

He turned to her with a half-smile and she couldn't help but smile back, "It sounds good. I've always wanted to live there."

"Good. Lock the doors behind me and get some rest." He told her as he hopped out and started across the parking lot.

She frowned as she watched him go, then felt the corners of her lips immediately turn up again as he turned back and came around to her side of the van. She rolled down the window for him and leaned her head out.

Instead of kissing her as she'd expected, he bent over and reached into his boot. When he stood, she realized he held a switchblade. The well worn handle looked old but the blade was razor sharp, gleaming in the moonlight. He flicked it closed then pressed the handle into her palm, closing her fingers around it.

When she looked at him curiously, he explained, "For protection, just in case. Keep it on you but be careful with it."

"Uh, thanks." She said, feeling touched by his thoughtfulness.

He nodded, then leaned in for a kiss. She expected it to be a brief goodbye peck but the way he tangled his hands in her hair and thrust his tongue between her lips had her toes curling. When he finally pulled away, she felt cold and bereft…and breathless. He smirked as he turned to follow the boys, obviously aware of his affect on her.

She sighed after him for a moment, watching as he walked through the door with all the cockiness of a strutting rooster. Laughing to herself, she locked the doors as she'd been told before crawling into the back of the van.

* * *

The next thing Senona knew, someone was touching her face. She snapped out of the murky depths of sleep, instantly alert, her hand groping for the knife. It was pitch black in the van and she couldn't see a thing.

"It's just me." David whispered, his hand shooting out to grab her wrist.

"Oh God…you scared me! I can't see you." She breathed, her eyes widening as she tried to make out his features in the darkness.

He remained silent, slipping the knife from her fingers as he straddled her hips. She heard the sharp swoosh as the blade flipped open.

"Be still." He ordered, pressing his lips to her forehead.

It was tantalizing, being in complete darkness with him. She might as well have been wearing a blindfold but she knew he could see perfectly. She felt him touch the very tip of the blade lightly to her cheek. He traced it across her lips, around the curve of her ear, over her throat, between her breasts, and across her stomach with a feather light touch that left her gasping. She knew that the element of danger made it that much more exciting for both of them.

He had just pulled off her shirt and leaned over to devour her mouth when a heavy knock rang out from the back doors of the van.

"Fuck off!" David growled, smirking when he heard Senona's muffled giggle.

"Police, sir. Open up!" The voice outside was demanding as well as authoritative, and it didn't belong to any of the boys.

The shock was like dumping a bucket of cold water on David and Senona. He cursed under his breath, flicking the blade shut and stuffing it into his boot as he rolled off of her. Her heart started pounding and she just knew they'd caught up with her.

Before he reached to open the doors, David pressed a finger against Senona's lips as if to ensure her silence.

When the doors swung open, was practically blinded by the dim glow flooding from the streetlights. They seemed strangely bright after being lost in such utter darkness. She clutched her discarded shirt to her chest, trying to stay hidden behind David. She wasn't sure what he was going to do but she knew she had to be ready for whatever was coming.

"What's the problem, Officer?" David asked quietly, kneeling at the back of the van.

"Got a report that his vehicle might be a little suspicious, they said it's been parked here all night and the bar closed two hours ago." The officer yanked up his pants, narrowing his eyes and trying to peek around David.

David just nodded, "Yes sir. My girlfriend and I…we're waiting for our friends. They had to make sure a few girls got home okay."

Senona knew David must have winked because the officer let loose with a rowdy knowing laugh. Then David moved aside just slightly, making it look as if he was just shifting his weight. But she realized he was giving the lascivious old cop a good glimpse of her.

The man took full advantage, craning his neck to get a closer look. His leer just broadened when he saw her trying to cover herself and maintain her last shreds of dignity.

"Oh, I see. I got it. Well, you take care of that little girl but get yourself out of here as soon as you can. I don't want them callin' me again. That lady was a real bitch." The officer never took his eyes off of Senona as he spoke to David.

"Thanks, Officer. Will do." David nodded.

Satisfied that all was well, the officer returned to his patrol car and rolled off on another call. Senona didn't let out the breath she'd been holding until his tail lights faded into the distance.

"Shit. That was close. If he wasn't a fucking idiot, he would have run our tags and we'd be caught." David seemed pleasantly surprised by how well the encounter had gone.

"Yeah, well thanks for letting him get a good look at me! God, that was disgusting." Senona complained, dragging the shirt over her head and shaking out her rumpled hair.

"It worked. That's all that matters." David grinned over his shoulder before hopping out, his boots hitting the asphalt with a loud thump as he added, "Don't pout; we'll continue what he interrupted later."

Before Senona could think of a snappy reply, the boys came barreling into the deserted parking lot in a deep green van much like the one they were currently occupying. They quickly began transferring their hastily assembled light-blocking supplies from one vehicle to the other as David filled them in on the encounter with the local law enforcement.

Everyone agreed that it was high time to get out of town. So they left, disappearing into the night and leaving nothing behind except a few dead bodies and an abandoned vehicle.

* * *

_Reynolds fumbled with his road map, ripping it nearly in half in his frustration. Fuck it, that piece of shit wouldn't do him any good. It couldn't tell him where they were headed._

_He knew from the girl's file that her parents were in Oklahoma but he doubted she would run to them. The boys…well they didn't have files so he was clueless about them._

_So, clutching the rumpled mug shot of Senona Jacobs that he'd stolen when he'd walked out of the Santa Carla P.D., he began canvassing…trying to find out which direction they were heading. He questioned convenience store clerks in all the stores just to the north and the south of Santa Carla. He made up a sob story about Jacobs being his missing daughter and people felt sorry for him but no one had any information. _

_Until he went east. In the very first store outside of town, he finally came across a pimpled young man who didn't recognize Jacobs but did seem to remember some guys coming in that seemed to fit the description of the punks who he had no doubt had helped her escape._

_East…they were heading east. Without an ounce of hesitation, Reynolds fired up his car and headed out on the road. He was going to catch up. It might take a while, but he had no doubts in his superb skills as a detective._


	11. Chapter 11

**Soundtrack: "Bullets with Butterfly Wings" by Smashing Pumpkins.**

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At first it was kind of fun being on the run. It was like some sort of demented road trip. For a while, Senona didn't mind driving all day then sleeping on the dirty hard floor of a van. She didn't even mind the cruddy convenience store food that she was living off of. But after more than a week of going at full speed, the novelty had worn off. Everyone was growing agitated and snappy.

"Can't we just get a hotel room for one night? I need sleep, David! I need to sleep in an actual bed or I'm going to lose it!"

Senona was beyond exhausted. The schedule they were keeping to had wreaked havoc on her body. Day after day, night after night it was the same thing. She drove until she was about to pass out, the boys fed while she slept in the van, then the next day it was more of the same.

"What's wrong with the van? We sleep in it every day, all four of us. What's your fucking problem?" David's tone was even but she could tell that she was pissing him off.

It wasn't that she wanted to be high maintenance but she just couldn't take it anymore. Being on the run from the police with a bunch of vampires in a piece of shit van wasn't exactly a relaxing experience. She worried every waking minute, about everything.

"It's killing me, David! I can't take it anymore!" She heard the anxiety in her own voice and dropped her head into her hands.

David watched her without sympathy. Sometimes his eyes could be so cold that it made her shiver. She knew he just wanted to go feed but she wasn't sure she could handle another night in the van.

"Stop being such a fucking princess. It's annoying me." He sneered, kicking the van doors open and climbing out.

"David, please. I'm just so…tired. I just want to go home and be normal again." Hot tears burned in her eyes and she wished that he couldn't see them in the dark.

"You'll never be normal again. Besides, we wouldn't be in this situation if it wasn't for you." His voice was frosty as he stood staring at the sky instead of her.

That did it. Something snapped in Senona and she came alive, scrambling out of the van to face him.

"Are you kidding me? I wouldn't be in this situation if it wasn't for you! You're the one killing everybody!"

David froze and glanced around; making sure the parking lot was empty. When he met her eyes again, his own were so livid that she felt a chill run down her spine.

"They arrested you, Nona. We're on the run, because of you. I've been feeding off people for over a hundred years and I've never had these problems until you came into my life. We're doing all this to save your ass but we sure as hell don't have to." He said quietly, narrowing his eyes.

"You want me out of your life? Fine! I'm gone!" Senona screamed, knowing she sounded like an immature little brat but she didn't care.

She turned on her heel so fast she almost lost her balance as she walked away. He grabbed her arm, as if to stop her but she whirled around and slapped him across the face so hard that her ring sliced into the skin at the corner of his mouth. She watched in horror as a bead of blood appeared, seeming so dark against his pale skin.

He smirked, his tongue snaking out to trace his lips, licking away the blood. She knew she hadn't really hurt him and his expression was so smug that the rage came flooding back.

"Fuck you, David!" She hissed before stomping away, leaving him behind as quickly as she could.

She didn't dare look back. She half expected him to come after her, but she wasn't all that surprised when he didn't. She kept walking, only stopping when she suddenly remembered that she had no idea where she was. She was in an unfamiliar town with nothing in her pocket except for a ten dollar bill and David's switchblade.

The town was larger than the ones they usually stopped in and she realized she'd found herself on the bad side of it. The buildings were dilapidated, half had their windows busted out and were covered in crude graffiti.

Fortunately, it also seemed to be deserted. Cars passed by on the road, but she didn't meet anyone on the sidewalk. Just as she was thinking the silence was almost eerie, it was broken by an unfamiliar male voice.

"Hey, sweetheart, where you heading?"

Senona turned, already feeling that something was very wrong. A wiry man was jogging after her, the friendly smile on his face almost enough to fool her. Almost, but not quite.

Senona turned away, quickening her pace. As his steps picked up behind her, she started running. In seconds, she felt his arms closing around her midsection and lifting her off the ground, her feet kicking the air as if still trying to run.

She screamed then, as loudly as she possibly could. It felt like her vocal cords were shredding but she didn't care. Terror overwhelmed her as he started dragging her towards an alley just off the sidewalk, clamping his dirty hand over her mouth.

He threw her on the ground and her head cracked against the rough asphalt. Before she could try to run, he was on top of her, his face contorted in a horrible smile.

She could see his lips moving but she couldn't hear him over the sound of her own heart hammering in her chest. He was fumbling with his zipper as she struggled against him, his hands groping at her. She clawed at his skin and without warning his fist connected with her face.

Pain exploded through her cheekbone and eye socket as fresh rage flooded within her. Suddenly, she was thinking more clearly. She reached down and felt the smooth handle of David's gift in her hand. Without thinking, she flicked the blade open and plunged it between them, jerking it up his body on instinct.

She felt it tear through flesh, felt something hot running across her fingers. The stranger's eyes bulged as he looked down at her, his expression shocked and horrified. He gasped for breath, and then choked. Blood gurgled between his lips and he coughed, splattering it across Senona's face.

She screamed again as she felt his blood, hot and sticky, against her skin. Then she heard footsteps running towards her, voices closing in, and suddenly he was ripped off of her. She scrambled to her feet, ready to run again, but another pair of arms wrapped around her. She fought against them, but then realized the voices were familiar.

"Nona! Nona, calm down! It's okay, it's us…it's us!"

It was Marko holding her, his eyes wide. She whirled around and saw Dwayne and Paul staring at her with similar expressions of horror. Then she saw David holding her attacker, wrenching his head until she heard a sickening crunch. The man fell to the ground, his body limp and his eyes glassy.

When David met her eyes, his face was distorted with a fury unlike any she'd ever seen. His eyes were on fire and he roared with every breath, panting like a wild animal.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey people, sorry to be a tease but I just wanted to let everyone know that I won't be able to update this story until at least the beginning of next week! So please stick around because I'll definitely be coming back...it just won't be until Monday. Thanks for reading! :)**

** Xx B**


	13. Chapter 13

After a long moment of silence, everything began happening at once. Senona scrambled to cover herself, trembling as she sat up and yanked down her torn shirt. David turned away and stalked off down the alley, disappearing around the corner. Marko offered a hand to pull her to her feet, but he wouldn't meet her eyes. She looked at Paul who was staring at the ground, then Dwayne who knelt over to pick up the knife.

"Why won't any of you look at me?" She didn't realize she was crying until she heard her own ragged voice and felt the hot tears on her cheeks.

"Come on, girl; let's go get you cleaned up." Paul was the first to speak, reaching out hesitantly to take her arm.

She let him lead her past the limp body of her attacker and out into the open. There she found David leaning against the wall, looking much more composed. Cool, in fact. She resented him at that moment, for standing there like nothing mattered. It made her wonder if he cared at all.

He must have sensed this for he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead, before ushering her towards the brightly-lit gas station across the street.

Dwayne and Paul headed in first, distracting the young female cashier who looked pleasantly surprised by the sudden intrusion. Marko stood outside by the door, keeping an eye on things as David quickly led Senona to the bathroom at the back of the small, empty store.

He opened the creaky door, checked inside, and then flipped the light on for her. Senona stepped inside and heard the door click shut behind her. She headed straight for the sink, turning the water on full-blast as she attempted to wash her red-stained hands clean. She scrubbed until her skin felt raw but the sudsy water pooling in the drain was still tinted pink. Then she made the mistake of looking up.

The grimy mirror above the sink reflected a terrified and terrifying stranger. Her hair was a mess, her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, and her skin was pale. Pale, that is, except for the splattering of deep red blood drops all across her face.

Her heart started pounding; she could hear nothing but the blood whooshing in her ears as she tried to back away from her own reflection. Then David was there, arms wrapped around her firmly from behind, forcing her to stand her ground.

"Look at yourself, Nona. What are you afraid of?" His breath was cold against her ear as he calmly met her wild eyes in the mirror.

She struggled against him, just wanting to run away, but his grip tightened. She remembered her dream, her nightmare, remembered struggling in vain against an iron embrace so much like this one. The end of the dream flashed before her eyes; she saw her own body plummeting headlong into darkness. And then suddenly, she wasn't in the cramped bathroom anymore.

She was falling towards the sea, reaching for the sky above her, as the waves waited to swallow her whole. Then there was nothing but blackness.

* * *

When she woke up, it was quiet. She tried to stretch but found herself wedged between two unmovable objects. Then it all came rushing back in a horrible, stomach-turning realization. She struggled to sit up, disoriented in the darkness. As her eyes slowly adjusted, she realized she was in the van. Safe. The boys were all asleep, crammed in together like sardines in a can. She was squished between the heavy bodies of David and Marko.

As if an alarm clock had sounded, all of the boys seemed to wake up at once. David was instantly wide awake, obviously surprised to see her awake as well.

Neither of them spoke at first, they just stared at each other as the boys began to stir around them. She didn't know what to say and it was becoming apparent that David didn't either.

Finally he kicked the van doors open, revealing that it was night-time, and climbed out.

"Let's take a walk." He offered her his hand, helping her clamber down to the pavement.

She expected him to drop her hand once she was steady on her feet but he didn't. The evening breeze was cool, raising goose bumps on her skin. They walked away from the van in silence and she quickly realized they were in a different town.

"How long was I asleep?" She asked, suddenly curious.

"Not long. After you collapsed we drove the rest of the night to get out of town. Then you slept through the day." He glanced over, examining her with an almost clinical detachment.

"I'm sorry." She suddenly blurted out, surprising even herself. "I'm sorry for causing so much trouble."

He stopped short, yanking her hand to force her to stop as well.

"Don't be sorry." His tone was forceful but he spoke slowly, seriously.

"But you said…" She trailed off, still hurt at the memory.

"I think we both said things we didn't mean." He arched a pale brow, the corner of his mouth turning up in the slightest of smiles.

She knew that was probably the closest David would ever come to apologizing to anyone and she decided she could accept that. It didn't solve everything but it made her feel better.

"David, I need to go home. We need to go home."

"Home?" The word seemed strange on his tongue.

She watched as he looked skyward, eyes trained on the fat white moon above them. For a moment he seemed hypnotized by it. She tugged at his hand to get his attention.

"Yes, home. Santa Carla." Just saying the name made her homesick.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" David asked.

"No. I know we'd have to hide out. But isn't that the last place they would think to look for us? In my hometown?"

He smirked, "You have a point."

"Of course I do. So can we go?" She felt like a child begging her father for candy.

"How would it work?" He seemed to be considering it, which encouraged her.

"We could live in the cave. Nobody would look for us there, right? We'll sneak in."

"And then? We have to feed, in case you've forgotten." He ran his tongue over his pearly teeth as if to emphasize this fact.

"Couldn't you feed outside of the city? Maybe the next town over, where nobody would recognize you? It's not that far and you could fly the whole way since it is just woods the whole way." The whole plan was taking shape in her head now and she felt positively giddy.

He looked thoughtful so she continued, "Don't you want to go home? I know you love Santa Carla just as much as I do. And so do the boys. We would be like a…a family."

That word got him, as she'd known it would. He finally smirked and said, "You win."

She felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. They were going home. Everything would be better when they were home.

David pulled her into his arms and she wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his neck. Everything was going to be fine.

* * *

_He was hot on their trail. He could smell it and it smelled rotten. Like dead bodies. A trail of them. Dead bodies and stolen vans. A lesser man would have never put two and two together but Reynolds was smart. He was on the trail of a gang of sadistic serial killers. He would bring them to justice if it was the last thing he did. Justice by way of his gun, of course. That was the only kind of justice these creeps deserved._

_As he rolled down the highway in a particularly seedy area, he noticed the multitude of freaks and junkies wandering the street. This seemed like their kind of area, easy prey for their evil deeds. The bright lights of an open convenience store loomed ahead of him and he whipped his SUV into the parking lot without hesitation. His nose was twitching. The trail was hot._


	14. Chapter 14

_Reynolds forced himself to walk away from the incompetent cashier before he did something stupid. His fingers itched to pull his gun. His head was pounding and his hands were trembling, a screeching in his head echoing his rage. Fucking fools shouldn't be allowed in public, they should be locked away so normal folks wouldn't have to deal with their shit. The man had looked at him like he was crazy and ordered him from his store. Said his "ranting" was scaring the other customers. _

_Well, fuck that and fuck him. Reynolds could practically smell the degenerates; he knew they'd been here. Slamming his car door behind him, he pounded the steering wheel with his fists in a vain attempt to release the fury that was boiling his insides. This was taking too long, too damn long. He should be back at home now, back on top of his game. Hailed as a hero for tracking down a murderous gang instead of being suspected of being a nutcase._

_As he headed east into a more rural area, he watched the sun sinking below the horizon. The sky was bleeding red. He almost didn't notice the van even though it was the only other car on the highway. But his keen eye caught sight of the young woman at the wheel at the last moment as it passed. Then he noticed the blacked-out rear windows. Just like all of the other abandoned stolen vans he'd been tracking. Heart pounding double-time, he scrambled in his glove box for his light, stuck it on his roof, and jerked the wheel to the left. Game time._

* * *

The sun was setting fast and Senona had been driving all day. She felt like her eyes were bleeding from staring at the pavement ahead for hours on end. She had no idea where she was but it looked pretty dead. However, she kept driving because the van was pointed towards home and that made it better.

She was so focused on the passing white lines that she didn't notice the SUV behind her until it almost rear-ended her. When she saw the flashing lights in her rearview, she almost swerved right off the highway.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit!" She screeched, feeling a sudden panic grip her chest, squeezing until she almost couldn't breathe.

She was wanted in Santa Carla for heinous crimes and was being pulled over by the police while driving a van filled with sleeping vampires. Oh, this was bad. This was very bad.

As the panic surged through her body, making her teeth chatter, she tried to decide what to do. Floor it or pull over? She didn't have time to weigh her options. She slowed down and pulled off to the side of the dusty, two-lane highway. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. It didn't do much good.

Peering into the rear view mirror, she watched a man climb out of the SUV and walk slowly, stiffly towards the van. He wasn't wearing a uniform but instead a rumpled suit. She cocked her head to the side, studying him closer in the tiny, grimy mirror.

The man seemed somehow familiar but it was hard to tell with the sunlight suddenly gone and dark sunglasses obscuring his eyes. He motioned for her to roll down her window, all-business. She did as she was told, trying to avoid eye contact for fear of giving herself away. There was a chill in the air outside, it raised goose bumps on her flesh.

"What's the problem, officer?" She asked, her voice shaky.

"Turn off your car, mam." His voice was strange.

She turned the key and the van went quiet. When she looked up again, there was a gun in her face.

Instinctively, she screamed and flung herself down, out of the weapon's path. The gun fired, shattering the passenger side window and sprinkling her with glass. She screamed again, scrambling to get away, with the gunshot still ringing in her ears.

The officer was alternating between pulling on the door handle and trying to reach her through the open window. When their eyes met, he pointed the gun at her again. Gasping, terrified, she kicked his hand away and managed to send the gun flying over his shoulder. He cursed wildly and as he bent to retrieve it she dragged her body across the broken glass and scrambled through the passenger side window, tumbling to the ground below.

She barely felt the asphalt scraping at her skin as she began crawling blindly towards the back of the van. Underneath the vehicle, she saw his feet turn and begin striding towards the rear as well.

Then, without warning, the van lurched and she heard another window shatter. Another loud thud. A gunshot. Screaming. A sickening snapping sound. Then silence.

She remained rooted to the spot, too terrified to move. She felt blood dripping down her forearms from her torn elbows. Footsteps rounded the van. She was afraid to look up until she noticed the feet were clad in heavy black boots. David.

She stumbled to her feet and reeled towards him, throwing her arms around him as if she were drowning and he was a life ring.

He tolerated her embrace for a moment and over his stiffened shoulders she noticed the other boys piling out, looking nearly as stunned as she felt. As she was pressed against his chest, she noticed something wet and cold soaking through her shirt and smearing against her skin. As she pulled away, she noticed it was blood.

"Oh my god, David, you're bleeding. Oh my god, did he shoot you?" She began pulling at his coat and shirt, trying to get to his skin.

He sighed and allowed her to examine the wound on his side, near his ribs. His skin was cold beneath her fingertips as she traced them hesitantly near the wound.

When tears sprang to her eyes, he rolled his eyes and brushed her hands away.

"David, stop, we need to do something about this!" Her fingers were stained with his blood.

"Nona, calm down. It'll take care of itself." He raised a brow, pulling his shirt back down.

Oh. Right. In all her panic, she'd forgotten. She felt herself blushing and looked away. God, that was stupid.

He seemed to take pleasure in her embarrassment, smirking at her reddened cheeks.

"You're bleeding too." He noted flatly, catching her wrists and lifting her arm to examine her elbow.

She squeezed her eyes shut as he carefully picked a few shards of glass from her skin and tossed them to the pavement. When she felt his cold tongue on her skin, she tried to jerk away but he held her arm firmly. She felt a tingle of pleasure mixed with apprehension as his lips moved against her skin.

His eyes glowed golden but he managed to restrain himself and pulled away when the blood was gone. He fished out a handkerchief from somewhere in his coat, ripped it in half with one quick motion, and had both elbows safely covered in just a few seconds.

Then he turned to join the others, leaving her with her head reeling.

"We need to get rid of this, boys, and get out of here." He stated coldly.

She followed him around to the highway and saw the man with the gun laying still, his head at a strange angle. Marko bent and flicked his sunglasses off curiously.

"Holy shit, that's Detective Reynolds." The sudden realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

"You know him?" Dwayne asked, looking at her in surprise before stooping over and dragging the body off of the highway, to the other side of the van.

"Yes! He-he came to ask me questions about my boss's disappearance…" she trailed off, feeling more confused than ever, "Why would he try to kill me?"

Seeing his body slumped in the dirt made her feel a twinge of sadness even though the man had nearly blown her head off just moments before. For anyone else, he would have been a formidable opponent. But he was no match for her boys. She felt a strange mix of pride and uncertainty as she looked around at them, lit only by the SUV's headlights.

"Look at this!"

Everyone turned at Paul's exclamation to see that he was rummaging through the still-running SUV. Senona hurried over and, to her surprise, was handed a photo of herself. It was worn and creased as if it had been handled frequently. David appeared at her side and she passed it over to him. His eyes traveled across it briefly before he slipped it into a pocket inside his coat.

Paul leaned in and plucked a small notepad from the floorboard. She glanced over his shoulder as he started flipping through it.

"Damn, this guy was crazy." He muttered, shaking his head.

The notepad was filled with scrawled handwriting. The first few pages were legible but from there it seemed to slowly descend into madness. Detective Reynolds had obviously been an unstable man with only one thing on his mind.

"Looks like he made it his mission to take us all down…thought it was gonna make him some kind of hero or something. I don't think he knew what we were though." Paul was scanning the pages quickly, flipping them before she could even make out the first few words.

"I can't believe he followed us from Santa Carla. I mean, how did he find us?" She looked to David for answers.

"He just followed our trail." David murmured before turning away, "We need to get out of here as soon as possible." He announced, nodding towards Dwayne.

Without another word, Dwayne hoisted the limp body over his shoulder and leapt into the air, disappearing out over the trees before Senona could blink.

She rubbed her hands up and down her arms, realizing she was still shivering, more from the trauma than from the cold. Paul wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to his side, offering little warmth but some measure of comfort.

"Do you think we can make it from here to Santa Carla before daybreak?" Marko asked quietly, tilting his head back to examine the sky.

"We can make it." David glanced up too, then clasped his hands together and looked at the scene around them. "Let's burn it and go, boys."


End file.
